Mobile Phone Automated Messaging Service’s and the Fulfilment of Planned Clinical Appointments: Lessons from an Ebola Clinical Study in Kambia District, Sierra Leone

Grace Rukanda; Monica Amponsah; Evelyne Banura; Robert Kanwagi; Seth Gogo Egoeh; Edward Ngoka; Geoffrey Babughirana

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ijics.20210601.11

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Mobile Phone Automated Messaging Service’s and the Fulfilment of Planned Clinical Appointments: Lessons from an Ebola Clinical Study in Kambia District, Sierra Leone

Grace Rukanda, Monica Amponsah, Evelyne Banura, Robert Kanwagi, Seth Gogo Egoeh, Edward Ngoka, Geoffrey Babughirana

Published in International Journal of Information and Communication Sciences (Volume 6, Issue 1)

Received: 27 January 2021 Accepted: 14 February 2021 Published: 27 February 2021

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Abstract

Introduction: The Ebola vaccine Deployment, Acceptance, and Compliance (EBODAC) project was established to develop a communication and community engagement strategy, including the development of appropriate technology, to maximize Ebola vaccination impact in the targeted population both in support of clinical trials and in the broader vaccination program beyond the clinical trial. EBODAC supported the EBOVAC-Salone trial in Kambia district in Sierra Leone to ensure that the novel prime-boost vaccine regimen is well accepted and successfully used in the context of clinical trials; while also preparing to maximize the impact of the potential deployment of a future Ebola vaccination program. The Mobile Technology for Community Health (MOTECH) platform was utilized and customized to help ensure compliance with the prime-boost vaccination regimen. Its main role was to support the communications and reminders surrounding the Ebola vaccine trial through an automated message service to participants’ mobile phones as Interactive Voice Responses (IVR) and SMS (Short Message Service) messages. Methods: The study was cross-sectional and adopted qualitative and quantitative research methods. The design was constructed to provide a representation of different user segments. The sample size was not constructed to provide statistical differences or detect differences in impact among groups but was simply designed to provide insights into how study participants interacted with the technology. Eligibility criteria involved randomly selecting participants from those that: a) received IVR and SMS and didn’t miss an appointment (booster compliant), b) received IVR and SMS and missed an appointment (booster non-compliant), c) received no IVR and SMS and didn’t miss or missed an appointment (MOTECH non-user). Quantitative information was entered in well-designed data entry templates. All participants’ names were anonymized for data analysis. Results: All the respondents, (n=81) revealed liking both the IVRS and SMS messages and majority of these, 80.2% (n=65) reported that IVR was very easy to understand. Respondents 47.5% (n=45) were comfortable receiving IVR, as opposed to 35.8% (n=29) preferred both text and voice messages. It was also found that 74.1% (n=60) of the respondents who were sent visit reminder messages never missed clinic appointment and 81.5% of those that received information preferred to know how to protect themselves from the disease. Conclusion: The EBOVAC-Salone automated voice messages contributed to valuable learning about areas of improvement for the MOTECH that will be of great importance for future outbreaks and medical interventions.

Published in	International Journal of Information and Communication Sciences (Volume 6, Issue 1)
DOI	10.11648/j.ijics.20210601.11
Page(s)	1-10
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Mobile Technology for Community Health, Automated message Service, Interactive Voice Responses, Short Message Service, Clinical Appointments, Vaccine Trail

References

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[2]	WHO, 2015. Factors that contributed to undetected spread of the Ebola virus and impeded rapid containment. http://www.who.int/csr/disease/ebola/one-year-report/factors/en/ (accessed Feb 13, 2021).
[3]	CDC- Ebola (Ebola Virus Disease), 2014-2016 Ebola Outbreak in West Africa. https://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/history/2014-2016-outbreak (accessed February 12, 2021).
[4]	Annik Willems, 2018, Ebola vaccine Deployment, Acceptance and Compliance (EBODAC) – the simple story. https://www.efpia.eu/news-events/the-efpia-view/blog-articles/03092018-ebola-vaccine-deployment-acceptance-and-compliance-ebodac-the-simple-story-guest-blog/.
[5]	EBOVAC Projecta, 2016, The experimental vaccines used in these studies are called Ad26. ZEBOV and MVA-BN-Filo. https://www.ebovac.org/the-vaccines/.
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[7]	Sierra Leone Demographic and Health Survey 2008. Retrieved on February 10, 2021.
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[9]	World Health Organization, 2011. New horizons for health through mobile technologies: second global survey on eHealth.
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[11]	Odeny TA, Bailey RC, Bukusi EA, et al. Text messaging to improve attendance at post-operative clinic visits after adult male circumcision for HIV prevention: a randomized controlled trial. PLoS One 2012; 7: e43832.
[12]	Odeny TA, Bukusi EA, Cohen CR, Yuhas K, Camlin CS, McClelland RS. Texting improves testing: a randomized trial of two-way SMS to increase postpartum prevention of mother-to-child transmission retention and infant HIV testing. AIDS 2014; 28: 2307–12.
[13]	Pop-Eleches C, Thirumurthy H, Habyarimana JP, et al. Mobile phone technologies improve adherence to antiretroviral treatment in a resource-limited setting: a randomized controlled trial of text message reminders. AIDS 2011; 25: 825–34.
[14]	Coleman, J. Black, V. Thorson, A. E. Jaran, E. Evaluating the effect of maternal mHealth text messages on uptake of maternal and child health care services in South Africa: a multicentre cohort intervention study. Reprod Health 17, 160 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12978-020-01017-3.
[15]	Jessica, LW., Julia, W., Isheeta, M. Using mHealth to Improve Usage of Antenatal Care, Postnatal Care, and Immunization: A Systematic Review of the Literature.
[16]	LeFevre, AE., Shah, N., Bashingwa, JJH., George, AS., Mohan, D. Does women’s mobile phone ownership matter for health? Evidence from 15 countries BMJ Global Health 2020; 5: e002524.
[17]	Gurol-Urganci, I., de Jongh, T., Vodopivec-Jamsek, V., Atun, R., Car, J. Mobile phone messaging reminders for attendance at healthcare appointments. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2013 Dec 5; 2013 (12): CD007458. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD007458.pub3. PMID: 24310741; PMCID: PMC6485985.

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APA Style

Grace Rukanda, Monica Amponsah, Evelyne Banura, Robert Kanwagi, Seth Gogo Egoeh, et al. (2021). Mobile Phone Automated Messaging Service’s and the Fulfilment of Planned Clinical Appointments: Lessons from an Ebola Clinical Study in Kambia District, Sierra Leone. International Journal of Information and Communication Sciences, 6(1), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijics.20210601.11

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Grace Rukanda; Monica Amponsah; Evelyne Banura; Robert Kanwagi; Seth Gogo Egoeh, et al. Mobile Phone Automated Messaging Service’s and the Fulfilment of Planned Clinical Appointments: Lessons from an Ebola Clinical Study in Kambia District, Sierra Leone. Int. J. Inf. Commun. Sci. 2021, 6(1), 1-10. doi: 10.11648/j.ijics.20210601.11

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AMA Style

Grace Rukanda, Monica Amponsah, Evelyne Banura, Robert Kanwagi, Seth Gogo Egoeh, et al. Mobile Phone Automated Messaging Service’s and the Fulfilment of Planned Clinical Appointments: Lessons from an Ebola Clinical Study in Kambia District, Sierra Leone. Int J Inf Commun Sci. 2021;6(1):1-10. doi: 10.11648/j.ijics.20210601.11

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@article{10.11648/j.ijics.20210601.11,
  author = {Grace Rukanda and Monica Amponsah and Evelyne Banura and Robert Kanwagi and Seth Gogo Egoeh and Edward Ngoka and Geoffrey Babughirana},
  title = {Mobile Phone Automated Messaging Service’s and the Fulfilment of Planned Clinical Appointments: Lessons from an Ebola Clinical Study in Kambia District, Sierra Leone},
  journal = {International Journal of Information and Communication Sciences},
  volume = {6},
  number = {1},
  pages = {1-10},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijics.20210601.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijics.20210601.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijics.20210601.11},
  abstract = {Introduction: The Ebola vaccine Deployment, Acceptance, and Compliance (EBODAC) project was established to develop a communication and community engagement strategy, including the development of appropriate technology, to maximize Ebola vaccination impact in the targeted population both in support of clinical trials and in the broader vaccination program beyond the clinical trial. EBODAC supported the EBOVAC-Salone trial in Kambia district in Sierra Leone to ensure that the novel prime-boost vaccine regimen is well accepted and successfully used in the context of clinical trials; while also preparing to maximize the impact of the potential deployment of a future Ebola vaccination program. The Mobile Technology for Community Health (MOTECH) platform was utilized and customized to help ensure compliance with the prime-boost vaccination regimen. Its main role was to support the communications and reminders surrounding the Ebola vaccine trial through an automated message service to participants’ mobile phones as Interactive Voice Responses (IVR) and SMS (Short Message Service) messages. Methods: The study was cross-sectional and adopted qualitative and quantitative research methods. The design was constructed to provide a representation of different user segments. The sample size was not constructed to provide statistical differences or detect differences in impact among groups but was simply designed to provide insights into how study participants interacted with the technology. Eligibility criteria involved randomly selecting participants from those that: a) received IVR and SMS and didn’t miss an appointment (booster compliant), b) received IVR and SMS and missed an appointment (booster non-compliant), c) received no IVR and SMS and didn’t miss or missed an appointment (MOTECH non-user). Quantitative information was entered in well-designed data entry templates. All participants’ names were anonymized for data analysis. Results: All the respondents, (n=81) revealed liking both the IVRS and SMS messages and majority of these, 80.2% (n=65) reported that IVR was very easy to understand. Respondents 47.5% (n=45) were comfortable receiving IVR, as opposed to 35.8% (n=29) preferred both text and voice messages. It was also found that 74.1% (n=60) of the respondents who were sent visit reminder messages never missed clinic appointment and 81.5% of those that received information preferred to know how to protect themselves from the disease. Conclusion: The EBOVAC-Salone automated voice messages contributed to valuable learning about areas of improvement for the MOTECH that will be of great importance for future outbreaks and medical interventions.},
 year = {2021}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Mobile Phone Automated Messaging Service’s and the Fulfilment of Planned Clinical Appointments: Lessons from an Ebola Clinical Study in Kambia District, Sierra Leone
AU  - Grace Rukanda
AU  - Monica Amponsah
AU  - Evelyne Banura
AU  - Robert Kanwagi
AU  - Seth Gogo Egoeh
AU  - Edward Ngoka
AU  - Geoffrey Babughirana
Y1  - 2021/02/27
PY  - 2021
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijics.20210601.11
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijics.20210601.11
T2  - International Journal of Information and Communication Sciences
JF  - International Journal of Information and Communication Sciences
JO  - International Journal of Information and Communication Sciences
SP  - 1
EP  - 10
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2575-1719
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijics.20210601.11
AB  - Introduction: The Ebola vaccine Deployment, Acceptance, and Compliance (EBODAC) project was established to develop a communication and community engagement strategy, including the development of appropriate technology, to maximize Ebola vaccination impact in the targeted population both in support of clinical trials and in the broader vaccination program beyond the clinical trial. EBODAC supported the EBOVAC-Salone trial in Kambia district in Sierra Leone to ensure that the novel prime-boost vaccine regimen is well accepted and successfully used in the context of clinical trials; while also preparing to maximize the impact of the potential deployment of a future Ebola vaccination program. The Mobile Technology for Community Health (MOTECH) platform was utilized and customized to help ensure compliance with the prime-boost vaccination regimen. Its main role was to support the communications and reminders surrounding the Ebola vaccine trial through an automated message service to participants’ mobile phones as Interactive Voice Responses (IVR) and SMS (Short Message Service) messages. Methods: The study was cross-sectional and adopted qualitative and quantitative research methods. The design was constructed to provide a representation of different user segments. The sample size was not constructed to provide statistical differences or detect differences in impact among groups but was simply designed to provide insights into how study participants interacted with the technology. Eligibility criteria involved randomly selecting participants from those that: a) received IVR and SMS and didn’t miss an appointment (booster compliant), b) received IVR and SMS and missed an appointment (booster non-compliant), c) received no IVR and SMS and didn’t miss or missed an appointment (MOTECH non-user). Quantitative information was entered in well-designed data entry templates. All participants’ names were anonymized for data analysis. Results: All the respondents, (n=81) revealed liking both the IVRS and SMS messages and majority of these, 80.2% (n=65) reported that IVR was very easy to understand. Respondents 47.5% (n=45) were comfortable receiving IVR, as opposed to 35.8% (n=29) preferred both text and voice messages. It was also found that 74.1% (n=60) of the respondents who were sent visit reminder messages never missed clinic appointment and 81.5% of those that received information preferred to know how to protect themselves from the disease. Conclusion: The EBOVAC-Salone automated voice messages contributed to valuable learning about areas of improvement for the MOTECH that will be of great importance for future outbreaks and medical interventions.
VL  - 6
IS  - 1
ER  -

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Author Information

Grace Rukanda

Public Health Consultant, Kampala Uganda
Monica Amponsah

Grameen Foundation, Washington, DC, USA
Evelyne Banura

Grameen Foundation, Washington, DC, USA
Robert Kanwagi

World Vision International, Dublin, Ireland
Seth Gogo Egoeh

Grameen Foundation, Washington, DC, USA
Edward Ngoka

World Vision International, Dublin, Ireland
Geoffrey Babughirana

World Vision International, Dublin, Ireland

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APA Style

Grace Rukanda, Monica Amponsah, Evelyne Banura, Robert Kanwagi, Seth Gogo Egoeh, et al. (2021). Mobile Phone Automated Messaging Service’s and the Fulfilment of Planned Clinical Appointments: Lessons from an Ebola Clinical Study in Kambia District, Sierra Leone. International Journal of Information and Communication Sciences, 6(1), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijics.20210601.11

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ACS Style

Grace Rukanda; Monica Amponsah; Evelyne Banura; Robert Kanwagi; Seth Gogo Egoeh, et al. Mobile Phone Automated Messaging Service’s and the Fulfilment of Planned Clinical Appointments: Lessons from an Ebola Clinical Study in Kambia District, Sierra Leone. Int. J. Inf. Commun. Sci. 2021, 6(1), 1-10. doi: 10.11648/j.ijics.20210601.11

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AMA Style

Grace Rukanda, Monica Amponsah, Evelyne Banura, Robert Kanwagi, Seth Gogo Egoeh, et al. Mobile Phone Automated Messaging Service’s and the Fulfilment of Planned Clinical Appointments: Lessons from an Ebola Clinical Study in Kambia District, Sierra Leone. Int J Inf Commun Sci. 2021;6(1):1-10. doi: 10.11648/j.ijics.20210601.11

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@article{10.11648/j.ijics.20210601.11,
  author = {Grace Rukanda and Monica Amponsah and Evelyne Banura and Robert Kanwagi and Seth Gogo Egoeh and Edward Ngoka and Geoffrey Babughirana},
  title = {Mobile Phone Automated Messaging Service’s and the Fulfilment of Planned Clinical Appointments: Lessons from an Ebola Clinical Study in Kambia District, Sierra Leone},
  journal = {International Journal of Information and Communication Sciences},
  volume = {6},
  number = {1},
  pages = {1-10},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijics.20210601.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijics.20210601.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijics.20210601.11},
  abstract = {Introduction: The Ebola vaccine Deployment, Acceptance, and Compliance (EBODAC) project was established to develop a communication and community engagement strategy, including the development of appropriate technology, to maximize Ebola vaccination impact in the targeted population both in support of clinical trials and in the broader vaccination program beyond the clinical trial. EBODAC supported the EBOVAC-Salone trial in Kambia district in Sierra Leone to ensure that the novel prime-boost vaccine regimen is well accepted and successfully used in the context of clinical trials; while also preparing to maximize the impact of the potential deployment of a future Ebola vaccination program. The Mobile Technology for Community Health (MOTECH) platform was utilized and customized to help ensure compliance with the prime-boost vaccination regimen. Its main role was to support the communications and reminders surrounding the Ebola vaccine trial through an automated message service to participants’ mobile phones as Interactive Voice Responses (IVR) and SMS (Short Message Service) messages. Methods: The study was cross-sectional and adopted qualitative and quantitative research methods. The design was constructed to provide a representation of different user segments. The sample size was not constructed to provide statistical differences or detect differences in impact among groups but was simply designed to provide insights into how study participants interacted with the technology. Eligibility criteria involved randomly selecting participants from those that: a) received IVR and SMS and didn’t miss an appointment (booster compliant), b) received IVR and SMS and missed an appointment (booster non-compliant), c) received no IVR and SMS and didn’t miss or missed an appointment (MOTECH non-user). Quantitative information was entered in well-designed data entry templates. All participants’ names were anonymized for data analysis. Results: All the respondents, (n=81) revealed liking both the IVRS and SMS messages and majority of these, 80.2% (n=65) reported that IVR was very easy to understand. Respondents 47.5% (n=45) were comfortable receiving IVR, as opposed to 35.8% (n=29) preferred both text and voice messages. It was also found that 74.1% (n=60) of the respondents who were sent visit reminder messages never missed clinic appointment and 81.5% of those that received information preferred to know how to protect themselves from the disease. Conclusion: The EBOVAC-Salone automated voice messages contributed to valuable learning about areas of improvement for the MOTECH that will be of great importance for future outbreaks and medical interventions.},
 year = {2021}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Mobile Phone Automated Messaging Service’s and the Fulfilment of Planned Clinical Appointments: Lessons from an Ebola Clinical Study in Kambia District, Sierra Leone
AU  - Grace Rukanda
AU  - Monica Amponsah
AU  - Evelyne Banura
AU  - Robert Kanwagi
AU  - Seth Gogo Egoeh
AU  - Edward Ngoka
AU  - Geoffrey Babughirana
Y1  - 2021/02/27
PY  - 2021
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijics.20210601.11
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijics.20210601.11
T2  - International Journal of Information and Communication Sciences
JF  - International Journal of Information and Communication Sciences
JO  - International Journal of Information and Communication Sciences
SP  - 1
EP  - 10
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2575-1719
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijics.20210601.11
AB  - Introduction: The Ebola vaccine Deployment, Acceptance, and Compliance (EBODAC) project was established to develop a communication and community engagement strategy, including the development of appropriate technology, to maximize Ebola vaccination impact in the targeted population both in support of clinical trials and in the broader vaccination program beyond the clinical trial. EBODAC supported the EBOVAC-Salone trial in Kambia district in Sierra Leone to ensure that the novel prime-boost vaccine regimen is well accepted and successfully used in the context of clinical trials; while also preparing to maximize the impact of the potential deployment of a future Ebola vaccination program. The Mobile Technology for Community Health (MOTECH) platform was utilized and customized to help ensure compliance with the prime-boost vaccination regimen. Its main role was to support the communications and reminders surrounding the Ebola vaccine trial through an automated message service to participants’ mobile phones as Interactive Voice Responses (IVR) and SMS (Short Message Service) messages. Methods: The study was cross-sectional and adopted qualitative and quantitative research methods. The design was constructed to provide a representation of different user segments. The sample size was not constructed to provide statistical differences or detect differences in impact among groups but was simply designed to provide insights into how study participants interacted with the technology. Eligibility criteria involved randomly selecting participants from those that: a) received IVR and SMS and didn’t miss an appointment (booster compliant), b) received IVR and SMS and missed an appointment (booster non-compliant), c) received no IVR and SMS and didn’t miss or missed an appointment (MOTECH non-user). Quantitative information was entered in well-designed data entry templates. All participants’ names were anonymized for data analysis. Results: All the respondents, (n=81) revealed liking both the IVRS and SMS messages and majority of these, 80.2% (n=65) reported that IVR was very easy to understand. Respondents 47.5% (n=45) were comfortable receiving IVR, as opposed to 35.8% (n=29) preferred both text and voice messages. It was also found that 74.1% (n=60) of the respondents who were sent visit reminder messages never missed clinic appointment and 81.5% of those that received information preferred to know how to protect themselves from the disease. Conclusion: The EBOVAC-Salone automated voice messages contributed to valuable learning about areas of improvement for the MOTECH that will be of great importance for future outbreaks and medical interventions.
VL  - 6
IS  - 1
ER  -

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